Google Doodle celebrates persistent spirit of late Kitty O’Neil on her 77th birth anniversary

 Google showcased a doodle of Kitty O’Neil on her 77th birthday , a famous American stuntwoman and actress who became hearing-impaired from a very young age. Meeya Tijang, a deaf artist based out of Washington DC, made the doodle

Pic Courtesy : Topgear 

Who was Kitty O’Neil? 

Kitty O'Neill was an American stuntwoman and actress who became deaf as a child when an illness severely affected her hearing. Despite the many challenges she had to face since her childhood, she has become one of Hollywood's most famous stunt performers. Her extraordinary talent earned her work as a stunt double in several films such as Bionic Woman, The Blues Brothers, and Wonder Woman.

Kitty O’Neil: Early life 

Kitty O'Neill was born on March 24th in Corpus Christi, Texas. Her father was an officer in the United States Army Air Corps. Kitty died in a plane crash when she was young. Her mother's name was Patsy Compton O'Neal. She is the reason Kitty learned to read lips after she lost her hearing. Her mother eventually became a speech therapist and co-founded a school for visually impaired students. 

Birthday	24th March 1946
Birthplace	Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Death day	2nd November 2018
Place of death	Eureka, South Dakota, USA
Occupation	Stuntwoman

Kitty O’Neil: Career 

Kitty began her career in the 1970s as a stunt double in films such as "Bionic Woman" and "Wonder Woman." She also became the first woman to join her Stunts Unlimited, an organization of Hollywood's top stunt performers.

How did Neil end up becoming a stuntwoman? 

When she was 12, Neil joined the swim team and eventually became interested in scuba diving. She also won the gold medal in place of a substitute driver who did not show up. Six months after her event, she won her AAU Southwest District her juniors meeting. In 1962, her family moved to Anaheim, California, USA, where she underwent Neil's training under Sammy Lee, a nationally recognized driving instructor.

Overcoming the challenges 

All the difficulties Neil faced since childhood did not prevent her from achieving greatness. In 1976, she was awarded the prestigious title of "Fastest Woman Alive" for breaking the previous record for a rocket propulsion driver. Apart from that, she set the height record for a woman at 127 feet during her performance as a stunt double in an episode of the Wonder Woman series. Her story is an inspiration to many. Her biopic Triumph of Silence: The Kitty O'Neill Story was released in 1979.